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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. shower — rain
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — of a king
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. field — a subject
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — farmland
  14. key — in music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — in a race
  19. key — the most important part
  20. field — for sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. court — for sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com